A Little Color

Detail of a victorian lady sitting in the park. I have to crop these because they are just too big and using a dial up I would be growing cobwebs waiting for it to upload. Ink, watercolor pencil with brush and without.

I'm being the bad grandpa right now. The wife is off listening to a concert for school with my grandson in it while I sit home doing this. I know I'm bad but I can't sit through an hour and a half of cute kids I don't know singing to see my grandson in a group where I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to be for maybe two minutes. Probably another day in purgatory for that but I'll do the time. Good thing I don't know the running total or I would probably have to go to the school.

Abother pen and ink

Another drawing in pen and ink, my favorite thing to use, adding a little color ok but my pleasure comes mostly from just doing the drawing in ink.

Yesterday was one of my favorite type of days, the wife off to her moms for mothers day and me with the house to myself, all quiet and peaceful. I love my wife of course but those short times when she is away are precious to me. "absence makes the heart grow fonder" as they say. I did actually manage to get some little work done, washing down the deck so we can stain it if we get a day without rain so it can properly dry. We have a power washer but it only gets used for the deck and hadn't been used since last year if not maybe two years. It wouldn't start of course, has a little reset button that you have to use before powering it and I'm messing with that a good half hour, reseting it, trying different outlets, using my best cuss words and kicking it, looking for that special spot that fixes things like when we used to slap the side of the television to make it clear up and if your old enough you know what I mean and know it worked.

Anyway it finally did start, maybe the kicks or the cussing not sure but it was only short term, maybe four, five minutes of high pressure cleaning and it stopped. I tried a few more times but it wouldn't start and I couldn't face another half hour of cussing and kicking and besides with all the water I had spread around I was beginning to think about electrocution. With nobody home I could cook pretty well done by the time things shorted out.

Anyway I got as hot water I could from the tub and an old mop and used that to finish, probably as good as the power washer could do, nothing like old fashioned elbow grease. Now if mother nature can hold a few days we can finish and wife can get on with what she wants to do, this job holding everything up, not sure why but I don't ask too many questions.

Hope everyone elses mothers day was good and your appliances all are running fine for you.

pen and ink

pen and ink cartoon using Faber-Castell pens.

We had both a female and male cardinal plus a blue jay at the bird feeder today. Hadn't seen the female cardinal in awhile and not the blue jay in a long time. I like the jays because its pretty but I guess the other birds don't care for them, seems they like to steal eggs . Also have had a pair of Mallards around lately, common for this time of year. We have unfortunately a back yard thats like a small hill and a gully at the rear that fills with water, sucks for mosquitoes but I suppose the mallards like it.

We went to our grandsons ball game tonight, way too cold for that but they played better then I have seen them so far. He even got the game ball for "tapping the rally", a term I haven't heard before but I like it. Meaning he got a hit late in the game and following that other kids got hits also and they scored some runs. I suspect they look for a reason to give each kid a game ball during the season and it was his turn. The best hitter they have is the only girl on the team, a stocky little blonde girl who his made contact every time I've seen her at bat. She's a good fielder too, hooray for womens lib.

Television Drawing

I have been working on a couple of different drawings but nothing ready for anyone to see so I will post this, another drawing from a television show I was watching, just a watercolor pencil gone over with sepia ink.

Rained here today which cancelled my grandsons ball game, more have been postponed then they have played so far due to rain or muddy fields. Maybe if they waited a few weeks to start the season, same think happened every year he has played so far.

Also postponed my wifes plans on yardwork, got started but started raining so I reluctantly (lol) had to stop. Doesn't save me of course, still all has to be done but I'll take it a day at a time.

Apple Tree

In out back yard we have an apple tree, not that we get apples from it, just little green golf ball size wormy things. We never spray it which could be part of the problem. The apples would be good for whipping at things if you wanted but not for eating. Same with our grape vine ( not in the picture). We do get grapes but kind of bitter to eat. The neighbor to the back used to get them and make jam or something but he passed away so lately they go to waste.

Anyway, the apple tree is pretty for awhile, with the flowers it gets. My wife wanted me to knock all the flowers off so it wouldn't get fruit which of course I didn't and probably too late now.